Election Information 

We appreciate your interest and encourage your involvement in the municipal election process. The local government level is closest to home and where you can have the greatest direct influence. We hope the information contained on this site will be informative and helpful to you. Please note that although we endeavor to keep this information current, election laws have changed regularly and sometimes significantly over the past several years. To be safe, dates and other information posted herein should not be absolutely relied upon. To verify current information and critical dates, please contact the Bountiful City Recorder’s Office at 298-6115. If you have concerns, feedback, or need additional information beyond that noted herein, please contact the above office.

(1) -Voter Registration
By law, voter registration is a County function. Therefore, City personnel are unable to process any voter registration for you. You have several options for registration. First, you may go directly to the County Clerk’s office (28 East State Street, Farmington) or call them at 451-3589 for information. Second, you may choose to register by mail using a form which may be obtained in the cashier’s area at Bountiful City Hall (790 South 100 East, Bountiful). You may also print a copy of the by-mail form using the Davis County Clerk/Auditor website http://www.co.davis.ut.us/clerkauditor/elections/registration.cfm. Be advised if you use the by-mail form, it must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to the election and be received by the County Clerk’s office no later than 7 days prior to the election. The third option is to update voter information by completing a registration card at a State or County agency (such as the Motor Vehicle or Driver’s License Division) and having that agency forward the card to the appropriate County for you. Please note that this third option sometimes is very slow, and you may not be registered in time to vote in the current year if you utilize this method. Going to the County Clerk’s office in person is always the quickest and most reliable method for registering. Satellite Registration (previously held at County libraries and other select locations just prior to the election) was eliminated by a 2007 change to State law. It is strongly recommended that you register as early as possible to avoid missing the opportunity to vote. To register, you must be a U.S. citizen, be a resident of Utah for at least 30 days immediately before the next election, be at least 18 years old on the day of the next election, and have your principal place of residence in a specific voting precinct in Utah (within Bountiful if voting in a municipal election). A person who has been convicted of a felony, whose right to vote has not been restored as provided by law, may not register to vote while incarcerated.

(2) -Election Dates & Positions to be Filled 
The City of Bountiful holds elections in the Fall of odd-numbered years (e.g. 2009, 2011, 2013). Those candidates who are successful in the municipal election typically will take office on the first Monday in January of the year following the election. The Mayor and two Council Members are elected in one year, and the other three Council Members are elected in the next election (two years later). In the even-numbered years (e.g. 2008, 2010, 2012), Federal, State, and County positions are elected. In those years, ALL voting is handled by the County (including absentee voting).

Bountiful City’s election is “non-partisan”, meaning that a candidate is not nominated by nor according to party and can be from any political party or no party at all. All candidates are “at-large”, meaning they can be from any location within the City boundaries, and are not elected by certain voting precincts or areas but by the entire voting public of the City. The candidate(s) with the highest number of votes will take office according to the number of vacancies to be filled.

The Primary Election for Bountiful City is held the second Tuesday after the first Monday in September of odd numbered years IF the number of candidates that have filed exceeds twice the number of positions to be filled. For example, in the year that three Council seats are to be filled, there will be a primary election only if there are more than 6 candidates for those three seats. Every year it seems there are frustrated citizens who believe we keep changing the timing of the Primary election. This is the result of a different time for the Federal, State, and County primary versus the Bountiful City primary. That will be further complicated by the new Western Presidential Primary. As noted earlier, the Federal, State, and County elections are in even numbered years, and their primary occurs the third Tuesday after the third Monday in June of those even numbered years, while Bountiful’s primary occurs in September of odd numbered years, if there is one at all. The June Federal primary and the change of the Municipal Primary from October to September were implemented due to new State and Federal laws a few years ago and not due to City changes. The City has no control over these State and Federal laws. We understand and apologize for any confusion this may cause our citizens.

The General Election is held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (odd numbered years for City and even numbered years for Federal, State, and County elections, as noted earlier).

(3) -Candidate Filing
Each candidate for Mayor or City Council must file a "Declaration of Candidacy", in person, with the City Recorder. The filing period typically is between July 1 and 5 p.m. July 15 in the year the election is held. Due to the use of electronic voting equipment for some elections, the filing period was recently changed and continues to be reviewed for possible future changes. If you are considering running for office, please personally contact the City Recorder’s Office (298-6115) to verify the current filing period. There is a $25.00 filing fee due at the time of filing. Alternatively, a candidate could be nominated by a minimum of 25 residents who are at least 18 years old and who sign a properly completed “Nomination Petition” and pay the filing fee. A write-in candidate may run for office, but State law requires that they file as a write-in candidate no later than 30 days prior to the November General Election.

Qualifications for a candidate are:

The candidate must declare at the time of filing that he/she meets all of these qualifications. Please note that the filing fee shall be refundable only if it is determined that the person filing is not qualified to be a candidate or is found to have improperly filed. Anyone interested in running for municipal office should obtain, from the City Recorder’s office, an informational packet concerning filing, sign ordinances, campaign financial disclosure, and other rules and information governing the biannual elections.

(4) -Absentee Voting 
Registered voters who will be out of town or otherwise unavailable to vote on election day may obtain an absent-voter ballot during the designated time prior to the municipal election. (Please note that we do not handle absent-voter ballots or any other voting during even-numbered election years when Federal, State, and County officials are elected. The County handles ALL voting in those years.) Absent-voter ballots for a municipal election may be obtained in person at the City Recorder’s office or by mailing your signed request to the City Recorder, 790 South 100 East, Bountiful, UT 84010. To reduce the risk of a request and/or ballot not getting to/from the Recorder’s office in time, we suggest coming in to our office in person. However, if you choose to mail your request, please indicate your full name, address of Bountiful residence, address to which the ballot should be sent (if different from residence), date of birth, and the election for which you desire a ballot (you may request a ballot for both the Primary and General election if you desire). The person who will vote the ballot must also sign the letter. If you feel you have special or complicated circumstances or are unclear as to how you may obtain an absent-voter ballot, please call the City Recorder’s office directly (298-6115). Overseas requests require extra time and by law must be received at least 20 days prior to the election to be valid, so please allow as much time as possible for your request to be processed.

POLLING LOCATIONS

The City generally combines voting precincts during its elections. The table below indicates each regular precinct, the consolidated precinct (100 series number), and the location where citizens of each precinct will vote. Though we try to use the same locations from year to year, this is always subject to change, so please verify with the City or watch your local newspaper just prior to the election if you have concerns about where to vote.

(5) -Provisional Voting 
Provisional voting was developed in an effort to allow all registered voters the opportunity to participate in the election process. This option is available for voters who have recently moved within the City or the state and have possibly not registered at their new residence but wish to vote. It does not absolutely guarantee that your vote will count, but it does give it a very good chance. The process works in the following manner. Since you have moved, you generally will be in a different precinct than in the past, and your name will not appear in that precinct’s voter registration book. Therefore, you typically would not be allowed to obtain a ballot at that location. The judges in your former precinct are instructed to not allow you to vote there since you have moved. So, what can you do? You need to take, to the polls, a legal photo ID (such as a driver’s license or federal/state-issued photo ID) and something that proves your current address (e.g. a utility bill). If your Utah driver’s license has been updated for your new address, it will satisfy both purposes. Once you prove your identity and your address to the judge in your new precinct, he/she will give an affidavit envelope to you, which you will complete by recording your name, address, and various other information. You will also sign a sworn statement that you are said person and living at that address. This affidavit will eventually be turned in to the County and will serve to update your voter registration, so it is important that you complete it fully and correctly. Once the affidavit is completed, the judge will provide a provisional ballot to you, which you will vote and place inside the affidavit envelope, sealing the envelope. The envelope with the ballot is returned to the judge who places it, unopened, in a special ballot box. After the polls close, City or County elections staff will verify that you are legitimately registered somewhere in the State of Utah (even if not at your new address). If they determine that you are properly registered somewhere in this State and that you provided proper proof of identity and residence to the judge, then your ballot will be opened and counted with all other ballots. The affidavit envelope (without the ballot) is then forwarded to the County and used, as noted earlier, to update your voter registration to your new location.

Provisional balloting is not meant to be a replacement for the registration process. It is much more cumbersome for you to vote in this manner and a great deal of extra work for elections personnel. We ask you to PLEASE register if you move, even if just across the street. We want you to have the opportunity to cast your vote as efficiently as possible and for every vote to count.

(6) -Early Voting 
Utah State election law provides for early voting to begin 14 days prior to the official election day. This is not the same thing as absentee voting. Some citizens wish to vote early to avoid waiting in long polling location lines. Others may be out of town on election day. Still others may wish to vote early simply because it is more convenient for their schedule. Whatever the reason, those wishing to vote early may do so according to a pre-determined schedule of dates, times and locations. As the next election approaches, the detailed early voting information will be posted herein and at City Hall. Early voting in the even-numbered years (for County, State, and Federal elections) typically occurs at the Bountiful and Layton libraries and at the County Clerk’s office. Early voting for Davis County residents may be done at any of the designated locations within Davis County, even if not your home city.

Please note that in order to vote early, a voter must provide valid photo I.D. and must be registered no less than 30 days prior to the election.

We thank you for your interest and involvement in the voting process!!! Again, due to frequent changes in election laws, we strongly recommend that you confirm any deadlines or other information noted above by calling the Recorder’s office at 298-6115 or call the City’s general line at 298-6142. Please feel free to come to the City Recorder's Office (in City Hall at 790 South 100 East) or call if you have any questions concerning the elections.